Brushes for cleaning the inner surfaces of vessels and/or for applying makeup or other personal care product compositions are well known in the art. One type of such brush is the twisted in wire brush, which is commonly used in a variety of applications including, but not limited to, hole cleaning, sanding, deburring or lubricating, tube or vessel cleaning, beaker cleaning, pistol, rifle and shotgun cleaning, medical equipment cleaning, medical and dental procedures, medical applications and the application of personal care products including mascara and the like. Twisted in wire brushes are also known as spiral, tube flue, bottle, pipe, boiler or power brushes, and are generally comprised of a plurality of bristles held and secured by a pair of twisted metal wires which form the core of the brush. The bristles are often formed from some type of acrylic fiber and extend radially from the core or longitudinal axis of the brush, generally resulting in a roughly cylindrical appearance. It will be readily appreciated, however, that the bristles may be formed from any suitable material including metal, such as stainless steel, brass or bronze, nylon, Teflon, polypropylene, horse or hog hair, depending on the specific use. Moreover, depending on the specification application, the ends of the brush can also vary. For example, a brush may have a rough-cut tip, a rounded tip or a bristled or fan tip, and can have a long end or handle, a short end, or a finished end having various configurations such as a ring or loop.
Other brushes, in addition to, or instead of having bristles held in place by the twisted wire core, may utilize applicator or cleaning tips comprised of molded plastic or rubber parts, including plastic or rubber bristles, that are attached to the core section of the brush. Existing methods of attaching such molded tips to the core section of the brush, however, may often be unreliable. For example, such molded tips may be prone to detachment from the core section of the brush, particularly when used in applications such as medical applications and gun cleaning where a reasonable force is necessary to effectuate cleaning, deburring, etc. In such applications, the forces generated by the cleaning motion can sometimes cause detachment of the tip and unraveling of the twisted wire core, which can lead to exposure of often sharp or abrasive ends of core wires, making the vessel more prone to scratching and other damage. In addition, detachment of the tip may result in the leaving of undesirable debris, e.g., bristles or caps, within the vessel that is cleaned or deburred. There is therefore a need to increase the structural strength of such brushes so as to prevent unraveling in applications where a reasonable force is needed to effectuate cleaning, deburring, lubricating, etc.
In view of the problems associated with known techniques and methods for forming twisted in wire brushes and, more particularly, for forming brushes with molded plastic or rubber applicator or cleaning tips, there is a need for an improved brush that is less prone to tip detachment, and which can be quickly and easily assembled.